We Started to Sing

Barney Norris drew on the family that raised him to write this play, which pairs tenderness toward those people with a reflection on how fragile and brief our lives together are. It premiered at the Arcola Theatre in London in May 2022.

The story spans more than thirty years and moves between Sussex, London, Wiltshire, Northamptonshire and Wales. As the family members spread across the country, the close harmony they once shared begins to loosen, and each separation changes the tune of their lives.